24 posts from February 2012

Dom Brown is going to do everything he can to be in Pittsburgh on April 5.

“I’m not almost at peace if I start at Triple-A,” Brown said. “I’m coming to win a job.”

It won’t be easy. Brown will be competing with John Mayberry Jr. for the spot out in left field, and over the winter GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said Mayberry was the front-runner.

Brown heard that chatter.

But he hasn’t let that hinder his workouts.

He lives in Clearwater in the offseason and has been in and out of the Carpenter Complex since late fall. In addition, he worked with Gary Sheffield in the offseason.

It’s extra work he felt was necessary, especially after the organization moved him from right field to left field when it acquired Hunter Pence at the trade deadline last summer.

“It’s going to be a big transition for me,” Brown said. The more I play out there, the more comfortable I’m going to get.

But perhaps the bigger adjustment came emotionally for Brown, who admitted he hit a low point right before the IronPigs made their playoff run.

“I was down for probably a week there and I had to just wake up,” he said. “But you can’t turn a switch off and on. You just can’t do it in this game. It’s a game of repetition. You’ve got to stay upbeat every day. That was the first time and it was a big learning experience for me.”

Cole Hamels, who stands to be a free agent at the end of this season if he doesn't sign a contract extension with the Phillies, never said his No. 1 priority was to remain in Philly, although he did compliment the organization multiple times. He also never said he was excited about testing the free agent market, something Jayson Werth said after the 2010 season.

"Ever since I was drafted I was very fortunate enough to be drafted to an organization that is trying to win and obviously has won," he said during a press conference in Clearwater on Monday afternoon. "Every day, every year we seem to get some top players. So that kind of shows the value and the direction the team wants to go. I’ve just been very fortunate to be a part of it. And it’s also something where I don’t know any better, I live in Philadelphia. I’ve been here for I guess 10 years now, so that’s been something that’s been kind of nice, kind of something I’ve been focused on. It’s a great organization to play for and I’d love to be a part of it."

Hamels, who avoided salary arbitration over the offseason by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $15 million, was specifically asked if he there was any part of him that was excited about testing the free agent market.

"I think I’ve learned a little bit earlier on to not really look too far away just because you start thinking about things you can’t control when ultimately, the only thing I can really control is how I’m going to go out and prepare for spring training and eventually prepare for the season and I can really ask for out of myself physically and mentally," said Hamels, who was drafted by the Phillies. "Anything else I think can become a big distraction, and that’s not what I want to do."

Unlike Albert Pujols last season, Hamels is not putting a deadline on negotiations. He said his agent and the Phillies will continue to talk throughout the season.

When he wasn't talking about his future, he was peppered with questions about his 2011 season, one in which he admitted was bothered all season by a bone chip in his left elbow and a sports hernia. The bone chip had been pestering him since spring training and was affecting him until he threw his final pitch of the season in the NLDS.

"I definitely knew it was there," Hamels said. "I know there was a couple days where I didn’t know if I would be able to pitch as well as I was able to. Our trainers stayed on top of keeping me in good enough shape to get through it. I guess it feels a lot better now. They were both uncomfortable. That was the best way I can describe it. Every day you didn’t have that spunk or that feeling that you knew you were going to go out there and have a great day."

The man everyone has been waiting to get a glimpse of made an apperance today in a fashion that should have fans excited.

On the half-field in back of Bright House FIeld, Ryan Howard did jogging intervals in the outfield. He ran from behind the third-base bag and then around the back of the infield before stopping behind the first-base bag. He took a break for about 30 seconds before turning back around and doing the same thing.

Howard, who had surgery in October to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon, then grabbed his glove and took grounders at first base. First, he took some from close range and then he backed up into his regular spot. When one was well out of his reach, he was told not to go after it.

He appeared to be moving well, although he does look like he's gained some weight. Now that he's more active, I'm sure he'll lose that weight.

Howard was being watched by multiple trainers, including head trainer Scott Sheridan.

When he went to first to take some grounders, Jim Thome and Chase Utley stepped upside (they had been taking them previously) and watched Howard.

After he was done, he did not speak to reporters and went right inside. He is scheduled to address the media on Wednesday.

You know an athlete is serious about getting in shape when he’s willing to change his routine around at age 41.

In an effort to aid and help mend his ailing lower back, Jim Thome dedicated himself this winter to doing Pilates, something he never considered a few years ago.

“I wouldn’t have known what it was,” he admitted.

Once Thome agreed to a one-year free agent deal with the Phillies, who said they were hoping he could play some first base in Ryan Howard’s absence, Thome got well acquainted with Pilates during the offseason.

“I wanted to make sure with going back to first base that I would be prepared,” he said. “I feel looser, I feel lighter.”

Although Thome feels the best he has in years --- he went as far as saying he's in as good a shape as he was when he was a rookie --- he hasn't quite been able to master every Pilates pose.

"I would say (cross one leg over the other) and then going down on one leg and bending down," he said. "What it’s called, I don’t know. I don’t know those poses. I know when an instructor does it, but I know my limits of my body and I tried to stretch my body to a point where it would bend.

"We’re getting in a little deep here," he added with a chuckle.

Another key for Thome was already having spent a great deal of time on the field. When he started taking grounders at first base in November, that was a first for him since 2007, the last time in played in the field in a major league game.

As for a plan this spring, nothing is set in stone yet, but Thome has an idea of how he’d like it to go.

“Once I get to where I feel good and can play it, I’d like to gradually ease into it – play a day, take a day off, then maybe play two,” Thome said. “I think the key is just to make sure you get the at-bats in the spring.”

IBANEZ SIGNS WITH YANKEES

According to multiple national writers, former Phillies left fielder Raul Ibanez has signed a one-year deal with the Yankees worth $1.1 million. If he reaches all his incentives, he'll make $4 million.

The Phillies will get a supplemental draft pick for losing Ibanez, who was a free agent after the 2011 season.

Ibanez spent three seasons with the Phillies. During that stretch, he hit .264 with 70 HRs and 260 RBIs in 433 games. Ibanez turns 40 in June.

I shot video with my iPhone of Chase Utley taking batting practice, of pitchers throwing bullpens (included in there is Cliff Lee and Kyle Kendrick) and of everyone stretching when the morning started. In the background, you'll hear Charlie talking about the season.

Hope you enjoy it.

PS...A big shout-out to Emily Robson, a photographer at the office who pieced it together and did a great job editing it. And I have a feeling I'll be getting help over the next few days for another colleague, web producer Stephanie Sigafoos, who is always a huge help!

It was only one interview, but Juan Pierre seems as personable and driven as advertised.

The 34-year-old, who wasn't required to report until Feb. 23 (the day position players have physicals) was in the clubhouse at Bright House Field on Sunday, which marks the first official workout for pitchers and catchers in Clearwater.

"I'm just excited," said Pierre, who signed a minor league deal in the offseason. "It's like I'm a rookie again. I even brought my own bats because I didn't know that I'd get bats this spring."

Pierre talked about how hard he'll work every day. It's something he did when he was first called up and it's something it thinks should be done by even veterans.

"I'm going to get here early," he said. "I'm going to do all the little things. I'll go out and bunt every day. I'll do Tee work every day because that's how I've survived this long in the game."

Pierre, who made his debut on Aug. 7, 2000, has spent years playing against the Phillies. He was on the 2003 Marlins team that battled the Phillies late in the season and went on to win a ring that year. He also was on the field when Jimmy Rollins had the game-winning, two-out double off Jonathan Broxton in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the NLCS against the Dodgers in 2009.

"I don't know how the Philly fans are going to take to me," Pierre said. "They've said everything in the book to me out in left field."

NOTES: The notable position players who have arrived include Jim Thome, Hunter Pence, John Mayberry Jr., Chase Utley, Scott Podsednik and Pierre. ... Jose Contreras and Joe Blanton are the most noteworthy pitchers throwing either on the side of a bullpen on Monday. ... Pierre is the godfather to three of Dontrelle Willis' kids. The Phillies signed Willis in the offseason.

For more than 22 minutes, Jonathan Papelbon took every question fired at him seriously. He looked each of us in the eye, used reporters' names when he knew them and wasn't in a hurry to step away from the microphones.

This is a guy who is clearly ready to make his mark on this team.

"When you say the word leader, to me a leader is somebody who goes out there, does their job, does it well and other people take notice," he said. "A leader’s not somebody that’s going to go rah-rah everybody up and say, ‘Oh, we’ve got to do this to win.’"

Some other highlights include:

"I like pressure. It's what makes me tick."

I asked him if there were any surprises when he arrived at the Carpenter Complex. "Maybe the fact that Jim Thome’s still in as good a shape as he’s in.”

"The biggest thing I recognized on the field is for the past three or four years playing against the Phillies and watching them – you see, and as a baseball player you know those teams that have the good close-knit, go to war together, grind together – you recognize those things when you play against teams and you see that. I had a good feeling of what it would be like, and there’s just a lot of guys that love to work here."

So you're not paying a fortune on StubHub at the last minute, get your fingers, phones and credit cards ready, or if you live in South Philadelphia, put your sneakers on, and take a walk to 1 Citizens Bank Way.

Phillies single-game tickets – including the On-Deck Series on April 2 and April 3 – go on sale Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

All single-game orders will be limited to eight tickets per game. The current sellout streak stands at 204.

Note: Modell’s Sporting Goods Opening Day vs. the Miami Marlins (April 9) and the Boston Red Sox series (May 18-20) are available through an online ticket opportunity at www.phillies.com. In addition, starting Thursday at www.phillies.com, Opening Day will be available for purchase through a Phillies Six-Game Pack and the May 18Boston Red Sox game through a Phillies Three-Game Pack.

On Thursday:In person at the Phillies West Ticket Windows at Citizens Bank Park, starting at 8:30 a.m.; After Thursday: In personat the First Base Gate ticket windows at Citizens Bank Park, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Early Season Promotions:

On-Deck Series, April 2 and April 3 (xpedx 2012 Schedule Magnet – all fans), featuring a spring training like atmosphere filled with plenty of prizes and surprises – including unique player and alumni interactions with fans, and more.